The Masquerade Game
by SuJinJung
Summary: "I don't want to play this game anymore." "Once you start, you can't back out."
1. The First Train Ride

p class="MsoNormal"This is a reupload since I never got around to finishing the story the first time around. br /None of the characters are mine, and if I happen to have a similar plotline to someone else, it's by coincidence. I don't mean to steal anything, I'm doing this for my love for HP and fanfiction. /p  
p class="MsoNormal"span style="font-size: 16.0pt; line-height: 107%; font-family: 'Bookman Old Style',serif;"Chapter 1/span/p  
p class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify; text-justify: inter-ideograph; text-indent: .5in;"span style="font-size: 16.0pt; line-height: 107%; font-family: 'Bookman Old Style',serif;"Draco Lucius Malfoy was a nervous wreck, though he obviously didn't let it show. He had his trademark expression, that was a mixture of boredom and annoyance, plastered on. He wondered how his mother had managed to convince him to return for his seventh year, but then remembered he needed to be prepared to take over the family business. As his father was out of the picture, with him being in Azkaban and all, he was expected to take over the role as head of the Malfoy family. Wanting to get a quick nap in before they arrived in Hogwarts, he pushed open an empty compartment door. He tossed his bag onto the overhead compartment and proceeded to get some much-needed style="mso-spacerun: yes;" /span/span/p  
p class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify; text-justify: inter-ideograph; text-indent: .5in;"span style="font-size: 16.0pt; line-height: 107%; font-family: 'Bookman Old Style',serif;"After the war, Draco and his mother had been pardoned by the new minister, Kingsley Shaklebolt, his father on the other hand, had done too many wrongs to be overlooked. That doesn't mean that he and his mother had gotten off scot-free, nope, for the better part of six months they had to be monitored day and night by Aurors and their wands altered to not be able to produce any other magic other than the basics. They had only lifted the restriction on his wand only when he had proof that he was to be attending Hogwarts. /span/p  
p class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify; text-justify: inter-ideograph; text-indent: .5in;"span style="font-size: 16.0pt; line-height: 107%; font-family: 'Bookman Old Style',serif;"As soon as the train left the station, Draco was fast asleep. And he stayed that way for two hours before he was stirred awake by the sound of pages of a book being flipped. He opened his eyes to find Hermione Granger opposite him, her head stuck in a book. /span/p  
p class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify; text-justify: inter-ideograph;"span style="font-size: 16.0pt; line-height: 107%; font-family: 'Bookman Old Style',serif;""Oh sorry, I didn't mean to wake you," Granger said when she noticed him starting to sit up. Draco didn't know what was more shocking, that she had decided to sit in the same compartment as him or that she was being nice to him. His brain wasn't fully awake yet, so trying to find an appropriate response to this encounter was hard. He tried to rub the sleep from his eyes, which only made him even sleepier. /span/p  
p class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify; text-justify: inter-ideograph;"span style="font-size: 16.0pt; line-height: 107%; font-family: 'Bookman Old Style',serif;""Granger?" Was all his brain could manage. /span/p  
p class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify; text-justify: inter-ideograph;"span style="font-size: 16.0pt; line-height: 107%; font-family: 'Bookman Old Style',serif;""Yes?" She replied. /span/p  
p class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify; text-justify: inter-ideograph;"span style="font-size: 16.0pt; line-height: 107%; font-family: 'Bookman Old Style',serif;""What are you doing here?" He had decided on being civil. Although he was brought up to believe that purebloods were the superior race, and that anything else was lesser, Hermione had shown him up in every single class, save for Quidditch. Now that he was older, he had learnt just how wrong his father's teachings were and he had made a promise to his mother that he would try to do better with everyone else, no matter their blood status. /span/p  
p class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify; text-justify: inter-ideograph;"span style="font-size: 16.0pt; line-height: 107%; font-family: 'Bookman Old Style',serif;""I needed a quiet place to read." She said, gesturing to the book still open in her hands. /span/p  
p class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify; text-justify: inter-ideograph;"span style="font-size: 16.0pt; line-height: 107%; font-family: 'Bookman Old Style',serif;""Oh, okay." Was all he said. She returned to reading and he reached up for his bag, hoping he had brought something to do. He reached in and was thankful he had remembered to bring his sketchbook and his pencils. Draco didn't feel the time pass as he drew and shaded the drawing he had started a day ago. The train finally rolled to a stop just as he had finished his drawing. It was a simple drawing of the view he got from his room in the manor, trees and hills and a lake. He had memorized how his backyard looked that he didn't need to see it to be able to draw it. He closed the book and packed his pencils away as he stood to leave the compartment. /span/p  
p class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify; text-justify: inter-ideograph;"span style="font-size: 16.0pt; line-height: 107%; font-family: 'Bookman Old Style',serif;"He was surprised to find that Granger had fallen sleep and had not woken yet. He gave her shoulders a light tap and she practically jumped from her seat. /span/p  
p class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify; text-justify: inter-ideograph;"span style="font-size: 16.0pt; line-height: 107%; font-family: 'Bookman Old Style',serif;""We're here," was all he said as he left the compartment. /span/p  
p class="MsoNormal"span style="font-size: 16.0pt; line-height: 107%; font-family: 'Bookman Old Style',serif;""Malfoy!" A familiar voice caught his attention right as he stepped out of his compartment, he turned to locate where his friend was. Blaise Zabini was a few paces behind and had eventually caught up to Draco. "I didn't see you on the train, where were you?" /span/p  
p class="MsoNormal"span style="font-size: 16.0pt; line-height: 107%; font-family: 'Bookman Old Style',serif;""Blaise, I was right there," he gestured to the compartment behind him, "I took a nap as soon as I was onboard." /span/p  
p class="MsoNormal"span style="font-size: 16.0pt; line-height: 107%; font-family: 'Bookman Old Style',serif;"The two boys talked about everything and anything as they walked off the train and towards the carriages. Most of the laughter and talking had died down as they reached the carriages. It was no surprise that most of the students could see the Thestrals. War is a horror movie that doesn't end even when the bombs stop dropping. /span/p  
p class="MsoNormal"span style="font-size: 16.0pt; line-height: 107%; font-family: 'Bookman Old Style',serif;"Draco tried not to think too much about it, he just hopped into a carriage that had two other students in it, both Slytherins and none of them gave Draco a second glance. Draco preferred if everyone was like them, and just ignore him, Merlin knows how many gawks and hateful glares he's gotten over the span of six months. /span/p  
p class="MsoNormal"span style="font-size: 16.0pt; line-height: 107%; font-family: 'Bookman Old Style',serif;""I can't wait until this year is over." Draco said as he leaned his head back against the cool metal of the carriage and closed his eyes. He tried to picture how his ideal year would go, it would involve him not getting into any fights and people avoiding him as much as humanly possible. But that seemed highly unlikely, he knew how people worked. He gave up hoping for a "peaceful" year and he just hoped for the best. Who knows how what this year holds for all of style="mso-spacerun: yes;" /span/span/p  
p class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify; text-justify: inter-ideograph;"span style="font-size: 16.0pt; line-height: 107%; font-family: 'Bookman Old Style',serif;"-span style="mso-spacerun: yes;" /spanspan style="mso-spacerun: yes;" /spanspan style="mso-spacerun: yes;" /span- span style="mso-spacerun: yes;" /spanspan style="mso-spacerun: yes;" /spanspan style="mso-spacerun: yes;" /spanspan style="mso-spacerun: yes;" /spanspan style="mso-spacerun: yes;" /span-/span/p  
p class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify; text-justify: inter-ideograph;"span style="font-size: 16.0pt; line-height: 107%; font-family: 'Bookman Old Style',serif;"Hermione wasn't surprised when Harry and Ron had told her they weren't deciding to go back for their last year, they had been offered pretty good positions by the Ministry of Magic, and studying just wasn't their thing. Though a little part of her still wished that they would change their minds and come with her for their last year of quiet, student life – something neither of them ever got. /span/p  
p class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify; text-justify: inter-ideograph;"span style="font-size: 16.0pt; line-height: 107%; font-family: 'Bookman Old Style',serif;"Hermione got off the train, her eyes searching for a head of red hair. /span/p  
p class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify; text-justify: inter-ideograph;"span style="font-size: 16.0pt; line-height: 107%; font-family: 'Bookman Old Style',serif;""Do you think they know that more people can see them now?" A voice said behind her and she almost let out a scream. Ginny Weasley had found her. Hermione let out a huge sigh of relief./span/p  
p class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify; text-justify: inter-ideograph;"span style="font-size: 16.0pt; line-height: 107%; font-family: 'Bookman Old Style',serif;""Merlin's beard Gin, don't do that to me, I nearly hexed you!" Hermione slapped the red heads arm slightly. Ginny just stuck her tongue out at her and linked her arms in Hermione's. /span/p  
p class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify; text-justify: inter-ideograph;"span style="font-size: 16.0pt; line-height: 107%; font-family: 'Bookman Old Style',serif;""I didn't see you on the train, why didn't you come find us?" Ginny asked. /span/p  
p class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify; text-justify: inter-ideograph;"span style="font-size: 16.0pt; line-height: 107%; font-family: 'Bookman Old Style',serif;""I got on late," Ginny gave her a look of surprise. "Yes, I was late." /span/p  
p class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify; text-justify: inter-ideograph;"span style="font-size: 16.0pt; line-height: 107%; font-family: 'Bookman Old Style',serif;""So where did you end up?" Ginny asked. /span/p  
p class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify; text-justify: inter-ideograph;"span style="font-size: 16.0pt; line-height: 107%; font-family: 'Bookman Old Style',serif;""I ended up sitting with Malfoy." /span/p  
p class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify; text-justify: inter-ideograph;"span style="font-size: 16.0pt; line-height: 107%; font-family: 'Bookman Old Style',serif;""Malfoy?!" Ginny said a little too loudly for Hermione's liking. She gave Ginny a pained look. "But damn 'Mione, Malfoy. He actually let you stay?"/span/p  
p class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify; text-justify: inter-ideograph;"span style="font-size: 16.0pt; line-height: 107%; font-family: 'Bookman Old Style',serif;""He was asleep when I went in. He seemed nice enough, no curses or anything. But we didn't speak much, I got to finish two books." Hermione added with a proud look on her face. She hadn't read anything that fast in months. Hermione and the remaining DA members had taken a part in the restoration of the Ministry and Hogwarts after the War. She had also helped clean up and repair the Burrow. All that hard work left her little time to properly immerse herself in any book. /span/p  
p class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify; text-justify: inter-ideograph;"span style="font-size: 16.0pt; line-height: 107%; font-family: 'Bookman Old Style',serif;""Well, I'm famished, I wonder what they prepared for us." Ginny dragged her friend into an empty carriage, they were one of the last students to leave, which meant they got a whole carriage to themselves. /span/p  
p class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify; text-justify: inter-ideograph;"span style="font-size: 16.0pt; line-height: 107%; font-family: 'Bookman Old Style',serif;""I wonder who McGonagall will choose as Head Boy and Girl." Hermione thought. /span/p  
p class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify; text-justify: inter-ideograph;"span style="font-size: 16.0pt; line-height: 107%; font-family: 'Bookman Old Style',serif;""You know you're definitely going to be Head Girl," the ginger winked at her, "but I really don't know who Head Boy could be. Maybe Neville or maybe even Ernie." /span/p  
p class="MsoNormal"span style="font-size: 16.0pt; line-height: 107%; font-family: 'Bookman Old Style',serif; color: black;""Maybe." Hermione replied, still thinking of possible candidates. But in the back of her mind, she thought of one other possible student that the title of Head Boy could go to, and she hoped she wasn't right./span/p 


	2. The Great Hall

Though they had tried to change as little of the overall feel Hogwarts naturally had, some changes had to be done. Hermione knew as much as anyone else that Hogwarts was different. The biggest change had been done to the Great Hall, where there used to be four long benches for each house, was replaced by multiple smaller round tables that each had four chairs. The chairs then corresponded with the four house colours, red, blue, green and yellow.

As most of the students didn't know what to do, they all stood around the edges of the hall. The front of the hall had not changed, the professors long table was still positioned there along with the decorative gold podium in the center. Behind the long table, the large stained-glass window that had been shattered during the battle, had been redone with a beautiful picture of all magical creatures, humans and normal animals existing in harmony with one another. As with most things in the magical world, the window moved, and it was beautiful watching the different creatures interact with one another.

Professor McGonagall had been elected headmaster and was now sitting in the middle of the professors table. She was watching all the students file into the hall, and when the last student had found a spot along the walls of the Great Hall, and the massive doors had been shut, only then did she move to stand at the podium.

"Good evening students, and welcome back to Hogwarts," She greeted. "I'll first address the most obvious confusion that everyone seems to be having, seating arrangements. Each table seats four students, as you can obviously tell, but each table must have one student per house before any meal can be served. Don't worry, this will only be the case during meal times. During any other time of day, the tables will revert to the long tables you are all accustomed to. Now before you take your seats, we shall begin the sorting ceremony."

The ceremony did not last as long as Hermione had expected, there were probably around 50 new students, around 30 less than when Hermione had been a first year. Once they were sorted, the first years continued to stay huddled together in one corner of the hall.

"Now that the ceremony has finished, everyone can take a seat."

And with that all done, the students began to move and fill up the tables. Hermione found a table that had a Ravenclaw boy she had never seen before and a girl from Slytherin she vaguely recognized, but could not quite place her. Shortly after, a boy from Hufflepuff joined them and bread and butter appeared in the center of the table.

"I guess we can start eating," The Slytherin girl said as she reached forward for a piece of bread. "I'm Astoria by the way, Astoria Greengrass."

Greengrass, that's why she looked familiar, Hermione knew Daphne, her sister.

"Nice to meet you, I'm Sean Adley," The Hufflepuff boy said. "What year are you in?"

"Sixth. How about you?" Astoria replied. Hermione was surprised at just how nice this Slytherin girl was, considering she had the misfortune of having encountered Daphne's rage more than once.

"Fifth year," Sean replied. "Kind of nervous for my O.W.L.s, even though the year had just started."

"Oh don't be," Hermione said, wanting to get involved in the conversation, "they aren't as hard as everyone thinks they are."

"That's easy for you to say, you're Hermione Granger." The Ravenclaw boy chimed in. He hadn't said it in a malicious manner, it sounded more like admiration. "I don't even know how I got into Ravenclaw, I'm shit at my studies and I have no clue what I'm going to do for my O.W.L.s."

"Well, I had to start from somewhere didn't I?" Hermione just replied. "Memorizing isn't useful, you need to actually understand what you're reading."

"Do you have any tips for a worried student such as myself?" Sean asked, bread crumbs flying from his mouth.

"Simple, read and put what you think you know to practical use. Keep repeating until you get the desired results. And if you keep failing, ask a professor or an upper year student for help, there's no harm in asking for help, it's what they're there for." Hermione simply said.

"That's actually good advice, you should lis-" Astoria's attention was cut off by the sound of a student yelling.

"I WILL NOT BE SITTING WITH SUCH FILTH!" A boy bellowed. Hermione turned to face the source of the yelling. The disruption had come from an older boy, probably seventh year like her, from Slytherin. Next to him, Professor Flitwick was trying to reason with the boy. At the table Professor Flitwick was trying to get the student to sit at, Dennis Creevey, Luna Lovegood and a Hufflepuff boy she didn't know.

At the sound of the commotion, Headmaster McGonagall had stepped away from the podium and moved towards the Slytherin boy. She said something to Professor Flitwick and he walked back to the professors table, thankful to be relieved of the task.

"What is the problem here Leon?" She asked calmly.

"The problem here is that I should not have to sit and dine with blood traitors and _mudbloods_." Leon had spat the last word. Hermione slowly moved her arm to cover the scar of the derogatory term that had Bellatrix had so _kindly_ given her. It was a subconscious move, despite the war having ended, she still felt like her heritage could get her killed, and this boy, Leon, was not making her worries go away.

"Mr. Fawley, if you do not wish to comply with the new rules that were put in place to cease the ridiculous thought that ones blood really matters, you may go to another school where they allow such childish and immature behaviour and thought. And as you are currently a student under my roof, I suggest you put your prejudices aside and take a seat unless you do not wish to eat, which would not bother me one bit." And with that, the headmaster turned and headed back to the front of the hall. Leon didn't move to sit, he just continued to stand and seethe.

Headmistress McGonagall made it to the podium and the hall fell silent once more.

"Now, I'm sure many of you are wondering why the tables have been changed so drastically." There was a short moment where mummers of guesses and theories from the students had erupted, but were quickly put down once the headmistress continued. "As we would like our students to learn from the past and move forward, we are doing the same. The war had devastated too many lives for there to be no changes. As a precaution for any future conflicts, we want all students to be able to talk and understand their peers from different houses, statuses and backgrounds. Our goal would be for there to be no prejudice thinking as you would grow to learn from and accept one another for whoever they are."

Even though Hermione had been a part of the restoration, she didn't know about this part of the plan, but she thought it was a brilliant one. Although, getting the students to cooperate would be another hurdle.

"Now, enough formalities, we shall begin the sorting ceremony and after, the feast begin." McGonagall announced, and each table filled with food. Leon, still standing, looked at the tempting food and Hermione could tell he was contemplating on sitting down just for the food. But he resisted and just continued to stand.

"It's a shame that he is sticking by whatever garbage his parents drilled into his head, the beef is absolutely delicious!" Astoria exclaimed. Hermione looked at the Slytherin girl, surprised that she was so open minded, considering she had probably grown up hearing the same things as Leon had.

"Don't you believe any of that Pureblood supremacy bullshit?" The Ravenclaw boy had asked, he still hadn't introduced himself.

"Nope. Having made more than just Pureblood friends taught me as much. Sure, I was as prejudiced as any other Pureblood child when I first arrived, but my first friends were halfblood and muggleborn. They immediately changed the way I thought." She replied, taking a bite of the mashed potatoes that she had piled onto her plate.

The rest of the meal had gone by rather smoothly, Hermione had learnt that the Ravenclaw boy's name was Charles Rodney and that he was a muggleborn like herself. Astoria and Sean, being purebloods, had asked them questions about the muggle world, even though they had friends that were muggleborns, they hadn't had many chances to learn much about the world outside of magic.

"Well, for one, I know that writing with inkwells and quills are stupid. Why can't we just use pencils or pens like any other school in this century?" Charles brought up. "It's not like the magical world has never heard of graphite!"

Hermione chuckled, she had been wondering the same thing for years, but never really questioned it, her mind had been filled with memorizations of whatever subjects she had picked, how to defeat Voldemort or what stupid thing Harry and Ron were up to whenever she wasn't around.

It was sad that they didn't get any chance of discussing the topic as McGonagall was standing in front of the podium once again.

"I hope everyone enjoyed their meal, I have one last announcement to make, I shall now name who shall be this years Head Boy and Head Girl." Another wave of the students guessing who the new Heads could be, followed by silence. "This year, Hermione Granger and Draco Malfoy shall be your new Head Prefects."

There was a moment of beautiful silence, then the mummering began.


End file.
